“At the end of the day, it’s really about trying to see the best in yourself and just having one of those good days,” electronic composer Bayonne tells HollywoodLife when discussing one of the tracks on his new album. Today happens to be “one of those good days,” for it’s when Bayonne (i.e. Roger Sellers) has released his new album. Temporary Time is the third full-length from the composer dubbed the “live looping wonder,” the follow-up to 2019’s Drastic Measures.
Temporary Time is a record to get lost in. The layered production begs for repeated listening, with each new play uncovering a new sound within the intricate arrangement. Roger’s vocals are woven through like an instrument that produces not sound but dreams. Temporary Time sees Roger create a world of sound that invites you to explore it, and you will be happy to take the expedition.
This record, which expands on what pop music can be, stems from a dark time in Roger’s life. “In early 2019 my Dad was diagnosed with cancer,” he says in a statement accompanying the release of Temporary Time. “This record largely explores the emotional journey we went through as a family coming to terms with his declining health, as well as my own mental health and inner self. During much of the recording process, I was in a deep state of depression.”
With the release of the record, Roger gives HL a track-by-track breakdown of Temporary Time. Make time to see him when Bayonne comes to your town: Roger kicks off a headlining tour on May 30 in Phoenix, Arizona (find all the dates and ticket details here.)
“Must Be True”
“It’s both a breakup song as well as a self-explorative meditation. I had been dating someone for a while when it became apparent that it wouldn’t work out. Pretty emo, I know. I specifically remember working on most of this when I went to West Texas for a writing/recording retreat in Jan 2019. This track feels like the beginning of this record’s journey, not just in sequence but in chronology. Kinda feels like the preface of a book.”
“Right Thing”
“Stagnancy/Anxiety/Indecision. ‘Right Thing’ sets the scene musically and conceptually, leaning into dark pop rather than another hypnotic journey. It assists the premise of “Temporary Time” by exploring feelings of stagnancy and impatience. Approaching my mid-30s, I was anxious about life, music, and the future. I was overly contemplating where I wanted to go creatively, which among other things, caused me to fall into a state of depression. The track has a lot to do with uncertainty and insecurity. ‘Can’t tell if I’m doing the right thing.’ This track also includes subtle recordings from my family’s old VHS tapes that featured my dad. It’s really meaningful to me, especially now that he has passed. One of my last favorite memories was of me showing him how I incorporated it into the song. He was amused.”
“Is it Time”
“‘Is it Time’ is kind of an introspective continuation of the feelings expressed in Right Thing, just from a different angle – not as anxious as it is calm in its language and musical feel. It’s more like an examination – almost positive, but more content and contained. This one feels more like I’m ready to “take a dive” – ready for change and prepared to actually make change.
“Words”
“In many ways, ‘Words’ is a pinnacle of the record to me. I mean this in terms of musicality and sonic creativity. The meaning is kind of all over the place, but there is definitely a kind of Part A/Part B quality because it was written over a longer and emotionally denser period of time. The first half is sort of a contemplation of certain relationships throughout my life. The second half pulls in more of the record’s concept – self-help/discovery.”
“Solo”
“This song is mostly about being with a partner, with both parties knowing it’s probably not going to happen long term, yet they are both compelled to spend time together. It’s mostly a personal, romantic type of song. ‘Solo’ is a call to both persons, if that makes sense. This track is honestly hard for me to decipher these days. Kinda just musical and emotional glue that holds the record together.”
“Perfect”
“This song is about keeping your chin up. I think I got a bit tired of writing pessimistically, which I had been prone to in the past. I was in a good mood when writing these lyrics – stoked for the future – I do get a little bit satirical on V2, probably because I have a hard time being overly positive in my songs lol. ‘I can’t imagine such a perfect life.’ At the end of the day, it’s really about trying to see the best in yourself and just having one of those good days.”
“FK”
“I think this song is mostly about the big, inevitable changes in life. The first verse is about getting my studio to work from during the day since I had roommates at the time and couldn’t easily record. While this helped my workflow, I didn’t help the anxiety and depression. The rest of the song explores those feelings of anxiousness and the need for change. Also, I feel like having Jon Joseph help out with some extra production, along with Aaron adding pedal steel, kind of saved the song.”
“Come Down”
“This is the oldest song from the record. I wrote and recorded it over a long period, starting in Drastic Measures days. Most of the lyrics came when my dad was diagnosed with cancer in early 2019. At that time, my partner and I had been living together, but we broke up, and I moved out to Houston to be with my Dad and family for a while. It was one of the hardest periods of my life so far. The lyrics are a bit abrasive. It was a very difficult breakup on top of everything else going on. It’s a conversation between my ex and me during a really distressed time. We kept going back and forth about continuing our relationship, and I guess this song is like a big flashing STOP sign. Luckily we’re still good friends, but that was a very hard time for both of us.”
“Tabitha”
“This track is super personal for me. I still haven’t found a way to talk comfortably about the lyrical content. I can say that it has to do with internal struggles within a family unit. This one might be hard for me, although I can talk about production for hours with this track. It’s technical as all hell and was undoubtedly the most daunting track to work out for Danny and me. There’s so much going on that it took us a few full days of mixing at his studio in LA. Also, the name ‘Tabitha’ has nothing to do with the song’s content. It was just an idea that I randomly named the pro tools session when I first started it.”